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The Spit Bucket: Who should Floyd Mayweather fight?

Kermit Cintron is among those being discussed as a potential Floyd Mayweather opponent.Bookmark It's Just Sports or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Manny Pacquiao will meet hard-nosed welterweight contender Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Dallas stadium, much to the liking of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who was removed from venue negotiations last month in the Pacquiao-Mayweather clash for a number of reasons.

What, then, for Floyd Mayweather?

Sources from around the boxing world are buzzing with names of such fighters as Kermit Cintron, Nate Campbell, Paulie Malignaggi and Timothy Bradley. This list of fighters doesn’t exactly strike the casual boxing fan as “must-see-TV,” but to be fair, no fighter in the sport would get the type of reaction boxing needs unless it were Manny Pacquaio.

And the same can be said for Pacquiao’s fight with Clottey.

Mayweather needs to get in the ring soon, having only fought once in the last two years, but a fight on March 13 – the exact same day Pacquaio is set to face Clottey – has the potential to do damaging results to the sport as a whole. The last thing boxing needs is two different pay-per-view shows rivaling each other on the same night, especially in today’s economy where the average blue collar American is struggling to bring home a paycheck.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer shared some of the exact same sentiments on the issue with ESPN.com senior boxing columnist Dan Rafael this past week.

"It is unusual, but what can I do," Schaefer said. "It wasn't Floyd who walked away from the Pacquiao fight. There is nothing I can really say about it. I've had the date [March 13] for a long time. Initially it was for the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones fight [which won't come off because Jones was knocked out in a Dec. 2 interim bout]. You know what? It is what it is. I'm not getting excited about it anymore. I am sitting outside having a cigar and [expletive]. It is what it is.

"It's not good. It’s not good for Pacquiao to go on that date, which we had for a long time. We had that date, end of story. So it's not good. How can it be good? It's not good for boxing. It's not good for boxing that Pacquiao and Mayweather are not fighting each other. I worked really hard to make that happen and it's not. And I am not belittling Pacquiao's fight with Clottey. It's OK. Hey, we have a piece of [the promotional contract of] Pacquiao. But is it ideal? No it's not. Is it the end of boxing? Is the world collapsing? No it is not. We all have to look to March 14. March 13 will pass and on March 14 boxing will still be there and there will be exciting fights, and nothing will change that."

And Schaefer is right. Boxing will still be alive and kicking after Mayweather and Pacquiao fight against anyone but each other. It’s irritating, however, that boxing will continue to be on life-support when both Mayweather and Pacquiao had the chance to change the game heading into the new decade. Evidently 40 million dollars and legendary status is not enough for two of the sport’s most talented and most stubborn fighters.

All things aside, it’s a good idea to break-down the list of potential opponents for Floyd Mayweather to give the casual fan an idea of what to expect when the Grand Rapids native steps back in to the ring this March. So let’s run down the choices and you can decide for yourself who would be the best fit:

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI (27-3, 5 KO’s) – The Magic Man is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over Juan Diaz in December, however that fight took place at the junior welterweight limit of 140lbs (Malignaggi weighed in at 138 ¾ lbs) and there’s no way a fight with Mayweather comes off at anything under the welterweight limit of 147 lbs. So basically Malignaggi would need to move up in weight to face Mayweather. Sure, Paulie is a quick guy but let’s be honest: he’s suffered from hand injuries almost his entire career, leaving him with a pathetic 5 knockouts in 27 victories, with the last one coming in 2003 against Kevin Watts. Kevin who? Exactly. Malignaggi runs his mouth better than most, so the promotion for the fight would be fun while it lasted. Eventually, though, the two would square off and Mayweather would win this fight in easy fashion against yet another fighter not fit for his weight class.

KERMIT CINTRON (32-2, 28 KO’s) – Cintron would be the biggest puncher Mayweather has ever faced in his professional career, by far. Not only can Cintron punch (80 percent knockout percentage), but he’s also fought as both a welterweight and junior middleweight. Cintron isn’t invisible – see his bouts with Antonio Margartio who some dispute now because of illegal hand-wrapping allegations, and Sergio Martinez, who despite winning a decision, many felt he was knocked out by a punch and not a head butt. Regardless, Mayweather signing to fight Cintron would prove he isn’t afraid to fight the bigger man and a true, legit welterweight contender. This fight would do a lot to silence the critics who constantly point out Mayweather’s inability to fight someone his own size.

NATE CAMPBELL (33-5, 25 KO’s, 1 Draw) – The Galaxy Warrior is coming off a no-contest against Timothy Bradley and a questionable decision win against Ali Funeka, in which he weighed 137.5 pounds, more than 2 pounds over the lightweight limit. Look, Nate Campbell has gotten the best of his abilities for never fighting professionally until he was almost 28 years old. But a March 13 fight with Mayweather would have him just turning 38-years-old and moving up to welterweight to face one of the sport's best. This fight just cannot happen. Campbell has no business even being discussed as a possible opponent and if it does somehow get done, the cries for Floyd-cotting will once again be heard.

TIMOTHY BRADLEY (25-0, 11 KO’s) – The chances of the recognized junior welterweight champion stepping in to the ring with Floyd Mayweather are unlikely with Bradley having ties to Showtime. The fight itself wouldn’t be a bad choice – Bradley is a natural pressure fighter with quick feet and a good skill base – but the issue of weight would create some controversy. Once again another possible opponent for Mayweather would be asked to leave their natural weight class. Once in awhile this can be accepted, but when it becomes a theme for every fight you’re in, that’s when questions begin to be raised. There’s no question Bradley would accept the fight. He’s just built that way and he’s hungry for the biggest payday of his career.

FINAL FLURRIES

Various outlets have reported Floyd Mayweather’s next opponent to be Matthew Hatton, younger brother of Ricky Hatton, to take place in the United Kingdom. Schedules and opponents change in boxing on a daily basis but don’t expect this to turn out on the end of truth. There’s no way possible Matthew Hatton can be justified as an opponent for Floyd Mayweather. I don’t care if they fight in front of the Pope. It’s not happening ...

Boxingtalk's Greg Leon reports Antonio Margarito will make his return to the ring after being suspended for illegal hand-wraps after his bout with Shane Mosley last January, on the undercard of Pacquiao-Clottey. Everyone deserves a second chance, but how do you get one for illegally assaulting a man inside the ring? ...

We are a couple weeks away from Shane Mosley and Andre Berto squaring off and honestly I cannot wait for this event. All we’ve heard for the last 2 months – and it’s felt like 2 years – is questions, speculations, accusations and some reason as to why Pacquiao and Mayweather were unable to come to terms for a super fight. Most people don’t care anymore, all fans want to see is a good action fight and Mosley-Berto is sure to deliver. It is widely speculated that should Mosley defeat Berto he would be in line for a spring date with Floyd Mayweather ...

Ring TV’s William Dettloff wrote an inspiring look at “Smokin” Joe Frazier this week. I highly recommend it. It’s a raw piece on a very raw man without the everyday fluff and huff.